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Rear-facing and Extended Rear Facing

Ok ladies, I really need your help! I have seen WAY too many of my friends posting pictures of their babies on Facebook with them facing forward before a year old. One of my friends I confronted about it and she said that her son is over 20 lbs and her dr said she could move him into a larger seat.... at 10 months!!! I need links to show her that it's not so much the weight, but the age of the muscles. Links to statistic and links to crash-test dummies... anything that'll get the point across.

Also, I'm looking into ERF, but my husband isn't so sure about it because he doesn't think it's safe to turn the larger seats backwards. Anyone have any info. or links I could show him?!

Well, I would tell your husband that he is not a Carseat Safety Technician so there for just because HE doesnt think its safe doesnt mean that its NOT. Most larger seats are capable of rear facing longer than they are forward facing.
Joelsjourney.org is a GREAT website for ERF and explaning WHY rear facing is SOOO important. I turned my OLDEST around at 10mths..I didnt know better. Then someone showed me this website when I was pregnant with my son. He is now almost 2 and still rear facing. When we KNOW better we DO better.

Don't worry about first spilling all the safety info to her just yet....look up the car seat laws in your state (assuming you both are in the same state, if not, look up her states laws). Not every state has a clean 1 AND 20 rule, but they ALL have a "PROPER USAGE CLAUSE" and there is NO seat on the market that allows for FF before 1 AND 20. Hopefully once she realizes she's breaking the LAW, she'll turn her precious child around.

Once you have done that...give her the safety info. You can go to youtube and search RF Vs FF videos, Joel's Journey, and many more. Also join one of the Car Seat Safety groups here on CM for a PLETHORA of info proving why it's safer...share it with her, and your hubby :) GL, and ignore those that tell you to "butt out". Those who don't give a crap about others, and their safety are the people that make the world the sad place it is today.

you should join the carseat safety group and get some stats from there.

Answer by
Anonymous
at 1:52 PM on Jun. 9, 2010

I, personally, am a fan of ERF, I got a seat that allows a child to stay rear facing until 40 lbs, and until my DD is 40 lbs (she's petite, so probably around age 2) she's going to be rear facing. I don't think I'd be able to turn her around when she's 1 anyway because she'll be 1 in less than 2 weeks and is only 18 lbs.

I would just mind my own business with your friend. People are going to do what they want anyway. As for your husband, there are youtube videos of car seat crash tests with the seat FF and RF. Show him some of those.